Love lies in the desert
by csi-87
Summary: This is my version of what happens after Living Doll. Chapter 11 now added
1. Chapter 1

This is my version of events of what happens once the titles ended at the end of Living Doll. I have no part in anything CSI related, this is all from my imagination.

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of CSI. If I did, there'd be no summer break and we'd all know how this story really ends! -x-

Chapter One – A dark day in Vegas

The clouds overhead darkened at an alarming rate and the thunder gave a deep rumble once again. The droplets of rain fell steadily but still with haste, bouncing all over the car park, eventually covering his feet and his bowed head as he sat perched on the kerb.

But he couldn't feel the rain soaking his body or see the people running down the street huddled under shared umbrellas as the lightning streaked brilliantly across the onyx sky.

All he could feel was the hairs standing on edge on the back of his neck and arms when he had seen that tiny but meaningful electronic movement.

The small model arm that was making its escape from the upturned car, fighting and grasping for unreachable freedom. At that moment he had wanted to throw the miniature scene against the wall in anger and frustration. Instead he had paced his office before leaving it in the examination room and going outside to get some fresh air. And there he sat.

He lifted his hands to look at them and realised that they were shaking, Sara's invisible imprint still branded on there from when she had held his hand under the table earlier in the day, when they were discussing the mini crime scene killer. He had finally removed the imagery of the mini Sara from his brain with great difficulty but he banged his fist angrily as the same string of words repeated themselves merrily.

"…I've got a pain in my sawdust…"

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The four of them sat in silence, each with their own set of photos and case notes. The newest mini addition sat in the middle of the table like a centrepiece. Nick glanced up at it while re-reading through his case. He looked at the small shrubs and rocks then shook his head lightly and returned his concentration to the folders.

He glanced up again and although it was facing away from him slightly, he could still see the little hand moving. He had thought about switching it off, but he couldn't bring himself to do it; it was as if switching off the model would have a direct impact on Sara. So he had remained quiet, silently stealing glances of the model and of his friends sitting around the table searching their own case files. He rubbed his forehead and eyes, feeling a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.

"Found anything yet?" He asked aloud to the room. Catherine, Warrick and Greg looked up simultaneously.

"It's just, y'all know we've looked through these notes a thousand times and we've never found anything. Why would we suddenly find something now?"

"We've just gotta keep trying Nick. There has to be something we've missed." Warrick replied calmly. Nick pointed at the mini scene.

"Y'all heard what Grissom said, this ain't like the other ones…it's personal. The setups changed. I mean for a start, where's the bleach?" Nobody could reply, they all continued to avoid looking at the miniature.

"Izzy Delaney, Penny Gardner, the chicken factory and the Doctor's apartment, they were all recognisable locations. They were so precise that we could spot the scene from a mile away." He pointed once again at the model.

"That is a generic piece of sand, nothing unusual in the design or recognisable in the detail. Why? Because she doesn't want us to find this one. And why is that? Because the setup has changed; this victim is still alive. Don't you see what Natalie's done?" Catherine sat in deep thought, Warrick's nostrils began to flare and Greg's face became paler by the second.

"She's set it up so that if Sara dies then we'll blame ourselves for not finding her fast enough. She's passed on the guilt."

"Shut up! Stop talking like that!" Greg replied, upset.

"Hey sorry man, but I'm just telling it like it is. Brass needs to force answers out of Natalie."

"Yeah good idea Nick, let's go in there and beat our killer to within an inch of her life and then see what she has to say." Warrick replied sarcastically.

"Hey it's a suggestion. I don't see you coming up with anything!"

"Actually, I think we should speak to Grissom." Warrick replied, his teeth gritted and his eyes glaring at Nick.

"He'll say follow the evidence probably." Nick muttered.

"You didn't listen to Grissom at all did you?!" Greg shouted unexpectedly, causing Nick to look at him in shock.

"He said Natalie took Sara because she's the only person he's ever loved! He _loves_ Sara! You think he's just gonna sit around and do nothing?!" Nick looked down ashamedly and Warrick laid a comforting hand on Greg's shoulder to calm him down.

Catherine stood up and walked quickly to the door.

"Cath, where you going?" Warrick asked gently. She turned around and looked at his worried eyes.

"I've just gotta get outta here for a while. I'm getting a headache." She gave a quick glance at Nick's bowed head before leaving hastily, her shoulders heavy with uncertainty, confusion, and stress. And dread.

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Well that's chapter 1 finished! Hope you're enjoying it! -x-


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I don't own any part of CSI, or the song "Time to say goodbye", that's, well I dunno who wrote it but Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman sang it, and it's beautiful, so there! Lol

Chapter 2 – Making the decision to say goodbye

She shoved the heavy doors hard and took in a lungful of fresh air. She looked up at the night sky, the rain spattering her face. Her eyes met the desert hills in the distance and the realisation of how wide Sara's search radius would be dawned on her. She followed the hills to the left of her and finally noticed the shadow of a person sitting several feet away from her. She sauntered across and took a seat next to Grissom silently. Catherine felt like she should attempt a conversation, but didn't quite know what to say.

"What are the guys up to?" Grissom asked quietly.

"They're just looking through the other cases. Thought maybe there might be something that still linked this one to the originals." Grissom nodded his head thoughtfully. There was a long silent pause before he finally spoke again.

"All these years I've worked as a CSI, all the training, the cases, the lab work. Somehow it prepares you for most of the harsh realities that exist in the world. The injustice, the cruelty, fate at the hands of another. It never prepared me for this." He bowed his head and looked back down at his hands, now steadier than before.

"Sara's not here because of me." He whispered. Catherine looked at the pained expression on his face and frowned sadly. He was one of her closest friends and she had never seen him look so upset in the whole time she had known him.

"Gil, it was Ernie Dell's choice to kill himself over the murders not yours. You are not responsible for his death. Despite what Natalie thinks."

"Our mini crime scene killer is a woman who reverts to chanting childish songs when any reference is made to her childhood. Her life and her reasoning are all created in her mind. Do you really think her foster father killing himself is a reasoning her brain will accept?" Grissom replied loudly, causing Catherine to back away slightly.

"She's sitting in there, while Sara is out there." He inhaled deeply and stood up.

"I'm going out to search for her." She nodded in agreement.

"We'll all search for her, five people is better than one. You got your car?" He nodded then stopped.

"No. Sara gave me a lift. And her car is…evidence." He replied quietly.

"Can you give me a lift home? I need to sort some stuff out first, you know, feed the dog and that."

Catherine nodded and stood up to join him. She laid her hand on his arm gently.

"I better let the guys know. I'll be back in a minute." She walked back towards the entrance mouthing to herself

_They have a dog?_

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She strode into the room.

"Ok guys listen up. Jim's got men covering some roads and desert, but we're gonna help search as well" she looked at Nick "it's what Grissom wants to do. So Greg, I need you to give the new mini scene to the guys in the lab. Tell to process every bit of it and call us when they have any info. Tell them its top priority.

Nick, I need you to talk to Brass and get all the details of the exact areas their currently searching. And Warrick, talk to Sofia and see if she's managed to get anything from interrogating Natalie. I need to drop Grissom off. We'll both be back later and then we can sort out a search plan and then split up. Everyone got it?" She looked at the three of them nodding enthusiastically, finally able to get up and do something.

"Good. Let's go."

Warrick walked into the corridor with Nick following closely behind.

"Hey Warrick?" He slowed and Nick caught up.

"Dude, I'm sorry about the way I was back there. I feel kinda on edge right now. I guess everyone does." Warrick looked down at the floor then at Nick.

"We're all worried about Sara. But you know you and me are cool. You should probably apologise to Greg though, he was pretty upset about the stuff you were saying."

"Yeah, I will. Dude, I know it was obvious they liked each other but did you ever notice that anything was actually going on between Grissom and Sara?" Nick asked uncertainly. Warrick glanced at him sideways, and then let a small smile escape his lips, shaking his head slowly.

"Naw. Some CSIs we are huh?" Warrick replied.

"You reckon anyone else knew?"

"What…like Cath?"

"She's known him longer than we have." Nick reasoned.

"True. I can see why they didn't tell you though. The whole lab would have known within five minutes." Warrick replied, trying to keep a straight face. Nick smiled at him then became serious again.

"What d'ya reckon will happen when everyone does find out?" They both stayed silent for a few minutes, each in deep contemplation.

"I think we'd better concentrate on finding Sara first. We'll think about what's gonna happen after that when we get to it." Warrick conceded.

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Grissom let the window slide down a few inches and breathed in the storm filled air. He stared out of the window blankly and Catherine pulled out of the car park onto the busy road.

_Now would be a good time to say something comforting to him._

…_damnit._

She drove down the strip partly until she hit a set of lights and did a U-turn, beginning to drive back on herself. They crawled along slowly alongside the flashy and loud casinos.

They continued forwards until they halted abruptly and remained stationary for several minutes.

"Must be queuing for one of the hotels further up. Luxor maybe." Catherine conceded. But Grissom wasn't listening. He watched the Bellagio fountains dance and fall elegantly as they followed the tune of the music. The sweeping arcs of water were like hands, its fingertips gliding gently across the surface. He had always loved this display. He sighed sadly, catching Catherine's attention. She looked at him and then the fountains. She soon realised it wasn't their delicate display that was upsetting him.

The words could be heard clearly as they continued their drive away from the strip.

_Li vivrὸ con te partirὸ su navi per mari che io lo so no no non esistono piὺ…_

_It's time to say goodbye._

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Hope you're enjoying it so far, I know it may seem a little slow, but if any of you have read my previous stories, you know I like to build my story up a little and then let all the emotional stuff come streaming out! Lol -x-


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of CSI or the song "Who knew" that's Pink's. Now, maybe if I say that a hundred times over, I might start believing it! -x-

Chapter 3 – Priorities over politics

He placed the model on the desk.

"Top priority." Greg told Hodges, who glanced at the model confusedly.

"But you caught the killer right?"

"Yeah."

"So why process it?" Hodges asked.

"This one's different."

"How?" Greg became annoyed with Hodges' questions. The other lab techs crowded around Greg as he used a latex glove to lift the car up. They all leaned in, and several people gasped.

"She's not dead. As far as we know." Greg informed, predicting what Hodges was going to ask.

"She's missing and we need to know where she is. So when you get any info, we need it." Greg looked at Archie.

"We're gonna need any surveillance footage you can find. If we can figure out which way they headed, it'll be a start."

"What are you gonna do?" Archie asked.

"Drive around until we find her. That's why we need your help guys. Like I say, anything no matter how small, call us." He turned around to walk out.

"Greg."

He turned to see the lab looking at him sadly.

"Good luck." Hodges said quietly. Greg nodded and sighed.

"You too."

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He walked down the corridor with the man and led them into his small office. Jim sat down heavily behind his desk and the under sheriff took a seat in front of him.

"I just wanted an update on how the search is going for Sara. Gil's team wanna help out, but I just wanted to check what areas are now being covered." The under sheriff turned in his chair to look at Brass.

"Detective Brass we have the maximum amount of officers that we will allow out in the field at the moment searching for CSI Sidle." Brass frowned deeply.

"What do you mean "the maximum we will allow"? How many people are there out there?"

"Three teams. Eleven people."

"In each?" Brass asked to clarify.

"No, in total." The under sheriff replied curtly. Brass's eyes widened and he looked at the under sheriff.

"Excuse me?"

"Detective Brass, we have other cases and locations where those officers need to be placed. At the moment we are only able to accommodate eleven officers to leave their normal duties." Brass looked incredulously.

"Normal duties? You don't think that searching for a missing person is their normal duty?! How about kidnapping, abduction, are they not their "normal duties"? This is bullshit!"

"Detective Brass, we have certain procedures we have to adhere to. We simply cannot let all of our available officers scour the hills for a missing CSI. It would have a negative effect on the department and the sheriff's office." Brass leant forward slightly.

"And now we get to the truth. Politics and publicity. Of course, what else."

"If the press and the public get hold of the fact that we have the whole of the Las Vegas police department out in the hills of Vegas searching for CSI Sidle, they'll all start questioning why we use all available resources for our own but when it comes to Mr Joe Average, we only give them basic services."

"The officers I work with certainly don't share your work ethic. They try to help "Mr Joe Average" as you call them as much as they can. And as for the publicity, I don't think the sheriff would appreciate opening his morning paper and finding an article about the incompetence of the LVPD and how they can't even find one of their own. Grissom and his team have saved your ass before. Maybe its time you did the same."

The under sheriff sat sour faced staring at Brass.

"Besides" Brass continued "I could always go and have a chat with the sheriff myself and see what he has to say about this matter. I'm sure he wouldn't like the death of a CSI on his hands." Brass sat back in his chair and stared straight back at the under sheriff.

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Grissom felt a pain in his chest as they drove away from the Bellagio, the words haunting him. He switched the radio on, hoping for some temporary release.

"_If someone said_ _three years from now you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out 'cause they're all wrong. I know, better, 'cause you said forever. And ever, who knew._"

He jabbed the button immediately cutting the music so silence once again consumed the car. He bowed his head and sighed deeply.

Catherine looked over at him.

_It's not his fault, I know that. He knows that and I'm sure Sara knows that as well. So why is he still being so hard on himself?_

She thought back to Sam's death, which she still found hard to cope with.

_I wanted to believe anything other than the truth. That he's gone. Maybe Grissom is doing the same thing. It'd be a lot easier if he wasn't so…Grissom. He's not the most emotionally receptive person on the planet. If I just knew what he was thinking, how he was feeling, I mean I can guess how he's feeling. But who knows with Grissom?_

Grissom's expression remained steely and emotionless again as he stared out at the scenery moving outside the window.

_If he keeps this up much longer he's either gone start to burn out again or he's going to have an emotional breakdown. I hope he knows what he's doing._

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I quite like Brass kicking ass, its fun to write! Lol


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- I do not own CSI. I wonder if they'll have it on e-bay?

Chapter 4 – Twisted little lullaby

He met Sofia as she exited the interrogation room.

"Hey Warrick."

"How's it going?"

Sofia sighed tiredly. "Try interrogating a brick wall. Then get back to me." She took a sip of her coffee and shuddered.

"Cold coffee. Nasty."

"So, have you got anything out of her?" He asked her as they walked away and took a seat further down the hallway.

"Well on one hand, since Grissom spoke to her, she's speaking a lot more. On the other hand, none of it makes sense. Muttering to herself mainly." He leaned to the side and glanced down at the room.

"Is it ok if I talk to her?" Sofia raised her eyebrow.

"Think you got a gift with the psychopathic type of ladies?"

"You see that's where you're all going wrong. She may seem off the rails. In her mind, everything she says is making sense. You just gotta see it from her viewpoint."

"What that killing four people and abducting the other with intent to kill is acceptable behaviour?"

"Hey, she's obviously managed to justify it in her mind." She extended her arm to the door.

"Then be my guest." She entered the observation room next door and Warrick took a deep breath before opening the interrogation room door.

Natalie looked up slowly, muttering under her breath and studying the new face carefully.

"Hi Natalie, my name's Warrick. I want to have a chat with you, is that cool?" She bit her lip nervously before nodding her head slowly. He took a seat at the table, remaining a safe distance from her. He gave a small smile, his insides squirming at having to force himself to be civil in front of a serial killer.

"You must be getting bored sitting in here for so long. Not much going on in this room is there? Pretty boring huh?" He asked rhetorically as he leaned back and looked up at the white ceiling. From behind the partition Sofia frowned at Warrick's conversation.

"You'd probably prefer a room with a lot of details. I've heard that you can remember a lot of them. I mean the proof is in your miniatures, right? To be honest, I'm not that good at remembering things too well. I mean, the first mini scene was Izzy Delancey right? Found at his kitchen table beaten to death." He looked away slightly. "What was the murder weapon?" He murmured audibly to himself.

"The rolling pin." Natalie replied quietly. Warrick turned and smiled in recognition.

"The rolling pin of course, in the drawer right?" She nodded.

"I used his blood in the miniature."

"Now that was unexpected." Natalie sat up straighter, beginning to enjoy the praise, while behind the glass, Sofia began to smile as she realised what Warrick was doing, impressed by his logic.

"And then there was Penny Gardner. Must have been frustrating, having to change your model." Natalie's faced darkened.

"But I think it just showed your dedication. And then it arrived after she was found. That just made it look like you had set it up to look like a random murder. And then your little scene shows up. Brilliant." Natalie looked at him, a small smile emerging. Warrick swallowed slowly, trying to keep his calm.

"I enjoyed making all the mini coupons." She confided without any assistance.

"It all adds to the realism. Now the chicken factory must have been a challenge?"

She fiddled with her fingers, and then looked at Warrick.

"I like a challenge. It was something different than just people's homes. I got fed up of making curtains." She allowed herself a small giggle and Warrick bit down on his lip to stop himself from saying something he would regret. He realised she was beginning to open up more and he had to let her feel comfortable before he started asking the more awkward questions.

"I had to buy a lot of new parts for that one, the pipes, the machinery and even those drums, the ones that look like oil drums."

"It must have taken you a long time to get it all together?" She shrugged.

"Not really. Two or three weeks." He widened his eyes in fake awe.

"Wow, I could never have that amount of patience. I can't normally sit still for five minutes!" She let out another giggle as he plastered a false smile onto his face.

"Now I have to say, your fourth scene with the cat behind the bookcase was inspired."

"I've never liked cats. They always seem sneaky, like they're hiding something." She replied.

_Sound__s like you'd be right at home with them. Or maybe a snake would suit you better._ He gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I thought I would be upset that my victim was the wrong woman. Although in the end both a doctor and a policewoman died and my scene didn't have to change so I wasn't too bothered. It got my models on the news as well."

"And your newest scene?" Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Do you know **her**?" Warrick's heart began to beat fast.

"No. I heard about the new scene in passing. I had a quick look, but to be honest I didn't have too much time. Sorry." Her features softened again.

"Her name is Sara Sidle. She works in the crime lab. Are you sure you don't know her?"

"In passing maybe, we may have worked a few cases. I didn't even know she was dead." Natalie gave the biggest smile she had given. But this wasn't sweet or innocent. This was nasty and full of loathing.

"She's not dead. Did you see the hand?"

"Hand?"

"It was my most original piece I've done. I bought a motor and placed it under the car. The arm moves, like she's trying to claw her way out." Shivers went down Warrick's spine at the memory.

"Sounds pretty impressive. I think I'll have to take a second look at that."

"Gil Grissom said he appreciated my work. But all he wanted was to find out where Sara is. He'll never find her."

"Why?" Warrick asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant.

"Because I've hidden her. No-one will find her. Alive." She giggled again, the noise grating in Warrick's head.

"That's why I let her…" She stopped, becoming quiet.

"What?" Warrick asked.

"No. It'll spoil the surprise."

"What were you going to say Natalie?" She looked at him, his voice now sounding different. She looked at him, and then her eyes looked at the tag clipped to his jeans pocket. She read the details aloud.

"Warrick Brown. CSI." She looked up at him in shock

"You lied! You DO know Sara Sidle! You're just like Gil Grissom, he came in here trying to be my friend, trying to be nice and then he starts asking all about her." She crouched in the corner of the room and began to sing her eerie song again.

"You can sing your little rhyme, but it won't protect you. Guess what, another lie, I do remember details, lots of them, and I know these cases inside out. We'll find Sara and when we do, you won't see the outside world again; you won't have your twisted little models to hide you. And it'll be all your fault." He informed her forcefully, crouching next to her speaking directly into her ear. He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Oh one more thing, your miniature is wrong." She stopped singing and shot a look across the room at him.

"It's raining." He slammed the door behind him as he left and Natalie began to sob lightly, rock backwards and forwards, and continued singing.

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They pulled up at the apartment and Catherine cut the ignition.

"Do you want me to come in?"

"No, it's ok."

"Ok, well I'm gonna head back to the lab, see what progress we're making. I see you back there soon." Grissom gave a nod of his head and got out of the car.

"Cath." He turned back and walked back to the car where Catherine had wound the window down.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the lift."

"Hey, no problem. You know I'm well, um, here. If you er, wanna talk." He looked at her and gave a small smile.

"I'm fine." He nodded reassuringly and turned away from the car as it drove away. He sighed heavily at the apartment before walking up to the front door.

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Well, as always, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I stayed up late into the night to write this one, I had to get the right level of annoying/creepy and someone you would quite gladly slap across the face. Natalie that is, not Warrick! Lol


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer – I do not own any part of CSI. I know, I can't believe it either.

Chapter 5 – Chase the memories, catch the reality

He opened the door to the apartment slowly. He heard a noise and the breath escaped his lungs. He smiled sadly as the boxer pup bounded down the hall and jumped up excitedly at Grissom.

"You hungry boy?" He tickled the dog's head affectionately before shepherding the pup to the kitchen.

He placed the bowl on the floor, patted the dog's side and walked slowly into the bedroom. An eerie silence washed over the room causing him to shiver slightly. He strode into the ensuite and ran the water in the sink until it turned from warm to cold. He put his large hands underneath the tap then splashed the icy water over his clean shaven face.

After dabbing his face with an embroidered towel-one of Sara's touches- he retreated back into the bedroom. He walked towards the door but something caught his eye and made him stop.

A newly added picture frame had been placed on Sara's bedside unit. But he had also noticed the letter he had written to her was no longer inside his book but on top of it.

_She's read the letter._ He picked up the frame and studied the photo. She had been taking photos of a car in the lab garage for her case. He had come in to give her some information and she had grabbed him and set the camera up on self timer mode. She had pulled him next to her, still surprised and wary.

"What if someone walks in?" He had whispered.

"Oh yeah. Well we'll get them to take the photo." She replied seriously. Grissom had turned his head sharply and Sara had taken one look at the shocked expression on his face and fallen into hysterics which was when the camera had decided to take the photo. He gently brushed his thumb over her happy face and sighed.

The dog padded into the bedroom, sat next to Grissom and rested his head on Grissom's leg. He looked down and saw the dog's big eyes looking back at him with a similar expression. He stroked the dog's ears softly, a burning feeling rising in his throat.

"I know Curie. I miss her too."

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They all stood around in a circle, staring in silence.

"Go on then."

"No, you do it."

Wendy looked across at Hodges who was standing a foot away from everyone else. He was looking away from the group awkwardly.

"You not gonna take a look?" She asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well you were jumping at the chance with the other four. You know, the "assignment" that Grissom wanted us to do but didn't even know he wanted us to do because he didn't even want us to do it." She smirked.

"This isn't a joke, this time we have been asked to do something. And you're all standing there like kids daring each other to pick it up. Sara's life is in danger, so maybe you should all think about that and grow up!" He replied angrily, pushing through the crowd and picking up the model. He turned to walk away.

"Wait." Wendy called.

"We wanna help." He put the model down gently.

"Then we need a strategy."

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They all sat around the table silently. Nick pretended to concentrate on his paperwork, Greg on something on the wall opposite, Warrick on his wedding ring and Catherine sat biting her nails.

"Well, what have we got?" Grissom asked entering the room. They all looked up and sat up straighter. He looked at Greg.

"I've given the model to Hodges and the rest of the lab to process. Nothing yet, but they're working on it. Archie is chasing CCTV camera footage."

Grissom turned and looked at Nick.

"I spoke to Brass, he managed to convince the under sheriff somehow to get ten teams, so forty officers for ground search and a chopper to cover wider areas. I've got a map and marked the areas they're covering."

Grissom finally turned to Warrick.

"Sofia got nothing out of Natalie and the only thing I managed to ascertain is that she let Sara do something, before she trapped Sara under the car, she said it's a surprise. I have no idea what it could be. Once she realised I was CSI she went back to her freaky singing."

"You spoke to her?" Nick asked unbelievably. "What was she like?"

"Proud of her work and sorry Grissom, she's not keen on you." He replied sarcastically. Grissom frowned.

"What would she let Sara do? Ugh, who knows. It probably doesn't mean anything anyway. So, if Brass and his guys are searching in parts to the west and north, I'd guess we'd better start to the east and south." He pointed at the map.

"Warrick and Nick, you head over that way, Greg you go down there and me and Cath will cover the central area. Remember, if you see anything, or hear anything back from the lab or Sofia then call us. Right, let's go before the weather gets any worse."

They all stood up together and walked out of the room. The lab techs stopped their work to watch the group of CSIs being led by Grissom to walk determinedly out of the lab to their cars.

Catherine, Grissom and Greg turned left out of the heavy doors. Catherine laid a hand on Warrick's and Nick's shoulders whispering "Good luck guys" before continuing to her car. Warrick and Nick looked at each other and inhaled deeply, the anxiety beginning to get to both of them.

"Dude?" Nick said uncertainly.

"Stay positive Nick, I mean you spoke to Brass, they've got loads of guys out there searching and a chopper. Five more cars to cover ground are giving us better odds. Hey, you were out there once and we found you, and you were buried underground."

"Don't remind me."

"Trust me Nick, we'll find her." He patted his friend on the back then walked briskly to his car.

"I hope so." Nick sighed before climbing into his own car.

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Sorry, I just had to put the Armageddon/CSI season 6 opening scene in there, the team walking together in a line, it's quite cheesy, but I love it!

I quite like the bit with Grissom and the dog, when I watched the episode I was like "they have a DOG?" so he had to be put in. I liked the idea of naming him after a scientist. Hence, Curie. -x-


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of CSI or the song "Drive", that's The Cars and one of my favourite songs ever! I also don't own the name "Spiderman" that's Stan Lee's. The title of this chapter is a little confusing, but you'll understand what it means once you've read the chapter. -x-

Chapter 6 – Picnic with Spiderman

She drove silently along the road, Grissom's car visible several feet ahead. She watched as he reached the crossroads and slowed to a stop. She pulled up alongside him and the passenger window edged down.

"I'm going left, right?" Catherine asked confusedly. He nodded and called across loudly over the noise of their engines.

"I'll call you if I hear anything or get any news."

"Ditto." She replied.

She looked in her mirrors and once a car had driven passed, indicated and pulled around to the section of road leading to the left. She watched in her mirror as Grissom turned and drove right.

"Good luck." She whispered. She clicked the stereo on to cover the noise of silence in the car.

_Who's gonna tell you when it's too late_

_Who's gonna tell you things aren't so great?_

_You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong_

_Who's gonna drive you home tonight?_

He gripped the wheel loosely, his mind beginning to wander to other things…

He sat tapping the keyboard, his concentration completely on the file he was finishing. A pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around his neck and his concentration broke at the smell of perfume that they carried with them. Sara rested her head on his shoulder and read the screen in front of them.

"Wow that looks, interesting. Or, boring beyond belief." He looked up at her and gave a small smile.

"It's for the class that I taught while I was away. I have to make a general report about the college, teaching methods I found useful, and a few words in case they wanna include a quote by entomologist Gil Grissom in this year's prospectus saying "learning is fun!"" He laughed and put two thumbs up as a cheesy gesture.

"How dignified and professional." She commented sarcastically. She looked across the keyboard and noticed something sitting on the other side of the desk. She walked around to it and leaned in to look at the miniature.

"Please tell me we didn't get sent this." He looked and laughed.

"No. I made it myself." She looked at the little jars and butterfly mounts and shuddered.

"I'm so glad that I know you well enough to expect you to do something like this. Otherwise I'd be freaking out that you were the mini crime scene killer." She looked at the screen again as Grissom continued to type.

"How long are you gonna be with that?"

"I dunno. I don't wanna send them something that I didn't give much effort to do."

"Well how about you finish it off with something like "bugs are fun!" and talk to me about what you wanna do on our day off tomorrow. I was thinking a picnic with Curie." He turned in his chair, away form the computer.

"One, where can you picnic in Vegas? And two, we'd probably get seen by someone we work with." She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Enjoying your double life _Spiderman_? You know we can't keep it a secret forever; we'll have to tell them sooner or later."

He turned back to the computer hastily.

"I've really gotta get back to this, I wanna finish it tonight. We'll figure out what to do tomorrow, tomorrow." She rolled her eyes leant over and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Don't stay up too late."

The memory evaporated around him and he found himself back behind the wheel of his car, continuing down the empty road.

"I'll make sure we go on that picnic honey." He murmured, his eyes once again focused on the road ahead.

----------

I know it's only a short chapter, but there's another long scene coming up, and I didn't wanna have like a million words to one chapter. Anyways, hope you're enjoying! -x-


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of CSI or the song "Drive", that's The Cars. And just to save my butt in general, any reference to anything famous, be it book, person, film or name I don't own any of it!

Chapter 7 – How does that make you feel?

_Who's gonna pick you up when you fall?_

_Who's gonna hang it up when you call?_

_Who's gonna pay attention to your dreams?_

_Who's gonna plug your ears when you scream?_

_You can't go on thinking nothings wrong_

_Who's gonna drive you home tonight?_

Although Warrick's words were reassuring to a certain degree, Nick still couldn't help himself from taking the pessimistic view on the situation.

_Sara's been out here for a while now. Realistically, what is the chance of finding her at all, let alone alive?_

He remembered the aftermath of his brush with death…

"Hello Mr. Stokes, my name is Dr. Chelsea, but you can call me Hannah." She shook his hand warmly but firmly. He gave a wary smile before following her into the spacious office. She gestured to the couch to the left, but he took a seat in front of her desk. She sat herself behind it delicately and gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you." She looked at her papers then back at Nick, placing her clasped hands on the desk in front of her.

"I'll start off by telling you a bit about what I do. Our company works closely with various police departments, including the forensics labs in areas all around Vegas. People can come and talk to us about their situations, anything from relationship problems at home, to being involved in either a highly distressing or life or death situation, such as yours. I'm not going to attempt to "cure you" or get you to plead insanity, I simply listen and offer advice if that's what you seek. What you get out of these sessions is your choice, you can choose to say all the right things and get out of here and back to work as soon as possible or you could benefit by this by realizing that something you thought didn't affect you, actually does and do something about it. What do you think?"

Nick sat quiet for a few minutes.

"I'd like to try." She smiled widely.

"Brilliant. Let's begin."

"Ok, tell me about your experience." Nick relaxed into the sofa.

"It was just a normal day; I lost a bet against Warrick and got stuck with the crime scene. I arrived and the only thing I could find was some body parts. Procedure is to process the scene, so I looked around and found some more evidence. I was bending down when I was grabbed from behind and chloroformed. The next thing I remember is waking up inside a glass box surrounded by dirt."

"What was your reaction?"

"I panicked. Started shouting for help and trying ta bust my way out of there. Then I realized I was trapped." His face paled slightly as he recalled the event. He leant over, took a sip from the glass on the coffee table and continued.

"It was horrible, time didn't seem to exist anymore, I had no idea where I was and I was being held by god knows how many tons of earth. Then a light came on in the box and it was ten times worse. I could see it all pressing in on me. But the light also cut off the air supply when it switched on. Whoever had taken me had been kind enough to leave me a gun and a tape recorder. So I shot the light out." Hannah looked slightly shocked by Nick's story, but regained her professional composure and continued to listen and make notes.

"Unfortunately it meant that the glass cracked and fire ants began to climb through, biting the skin off my body. This was the point when the tape recorder came in handy."

"What did you say? What was running through your head at that point?"

"I felt completely alone and isolated. I thought I was gonna die alone. I said my goodbyes." He looked down at his arms; there were several tiny pinprick spots of red, the remaining souvenirs from the ant feast.

"Then when I thought all hope was lost, I see this light and there's Grissom with his hand against the glass shouting at me. I had to remain calm while they tried to get me out without setting off the explosives underneath the box. And that's pretty much it." Hannah's jaw now dropped.

"Well, that certainly is an experience you wouldn't want twice." She commented. She rested her pen on her notepad and gave another warm smile.

He remembered that he had continued to talk to Hannah past the hour session and she had given him insightful information about himself and then advice which he had listened to and which he now realized had helped him to carry on doing his job everyday.

He looked at the storm clouds rolling around overhead. He breathed deeply, a new feeling rising in his chest. A feeling of hope.

"Warrick's right, if you guys could find me, then we'll have no problems finding you. I know we'll find ya. Just keep the faith Sara, we'll be there soon."

----------

Warrick tapped his steering wheel in time to the CD coming out of the speakers. As he did so, he glanced at his wedding ring which had remained on his finger since the day he had got married in that "your in and your out" wedding chapel on the strip only a year ago. He twisted it around his finger and sighed. He thought about Grissom and Sara's relationship and then his own.

_It may not be the best idea to have a relationship with someone you work with, but on the other hand they've gotten to know each other over seven years, more than that, they met in San Francisco. Anyway, that's a lot longer than I've known Tina, or she's known me._

He remembered the last conversation they'd had…

"That isn't fair."

"You know it's true. I've made plans for us four nights this week and you haven't kept to a single one!" She folded her arms across her chest.

"I'm not going to apologize to you Tina. Graveyard shift would kinda imply that I work nights. I thought you understood about my work?"

"I do, but would it kill ya to take one night off, just one night for us to do something together as a couple?"

"You don't understand do you? You might be able to just take days off here and there, but I have a lot of responsibilities. I explained all of this when we first started dating. If you weren't happy you should have said "I don't" instead of "I do"!" He replied angrily.

"Ugh, maybe you should have just married your job!" She shouted.

"Being married to you is a job." He retorted. She gasped, taken aback by the comment and sat down on the sofa slowly. He glanced over at her, a feeling of guilt rising in his chest. He walked out of the living room into the kitchen.

He shuffled apprehensively into the lounge and realized that Tina hadn't moved from where she had sat down an hour and a half ago. He retreated to the kitchen, made her a cup of fruit tea that she liked and returned to her, placing it on the coffee table in front of her. She glanced up at him as he sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry T, those things I said were… well I'm sorry."

"You were telling the truth though, weren't you? You can't stand me. I've pushed you away." He placed his hand awkwardly on hers.

"That's not true, I can stand you and you haven't pushed me away. I've never made the effort to try and do the husband and wife thing, I've been caught up with work, but that's me, that's the way I am. You can't change that."

"I don't know why I've never seen that." She commented quietly.

"Maybe, we don't know each other as well as we thought?"

They both sat in silence, Warrick felt drained and surprisingly emotionless seeing as he was having a conversation with his wife that he never thought he'd have.

"Tina, what's my favourite movie?" She looked at him blankly.

"How about my favourite food? My favourite football team? Colour? Music?" She looked at him sadly.

"You don't know those things about me, and I know that I don't know those things about you either."

"But we'll get to know those things the longer we've been together. We'll learn them." She replied reassuringly, but also pleadingly.

"We were supposed to know those sorts of things before we got married."

"We could start again, you know act like we're meeting each other for the first time. Or there are some good councilors out there." She looked at him and sighed dejectedly.

"But that won't make any difference will it. Because you're not in love with me. Are you?" He looked at her sympathetically.

"Are you in love with me?" He asked quietly. She inhaled slowly and sadly shaking her head.

"No. I don't think I am. But we could still…"

"Tina, you can't be taught or learn to love someone. You can only fall in love." She nodded again, accepting the truth.

"You can go and be with the person you love now." He frowned.

"I'm not in love with anyone." She looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh come on, it doesn't take a CSI to figure out you have a thing for that Catherine woman you work with. Do you know her favourite movie, colour, food, book, music?"

Since then Tina had been staying at her sisters, who Warrick hadn't even known about and he had spent many nights thinking over those last words she had said to him. The question reappeared in his head and without thinking replied immediately.

"Casablanca, Pink, Grilled cheese sandwiches, The Da Vinci code and Frank Sinatra."

His mouth fell open in surprise, and then shook himself out of the daze. He forced his eyes to refocus on the road and the darkening desert around him. He once again began to tap his hands on the steering wheel and began to smile to himself.

"Maybe you have got the right idea Sara."

----------

Hope you like this chapter, took a lot of writing and re-writing to get it how I wanted it. Dunno if that is Catherine's favourite things, but I like grilled cheese sandwiches, The Da Vinci code and Frank Sinatra, so I thought I'd put those in! Lol -x-


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of CSI or the song "Drive", that's The Cars.

Chapter 8 – There's nothing like a good friend, a glass of wine helps

_Who's gonna hold you down when you shake?_

_Who's gonna come around when you break?_

_You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong_

_Who's gonna drive you home tonight?_

She saw Grissom's tail lights disappear into the distance and sighed. She understood his pain to a certain degree, she worked with Sara as well, and Catherine had also lost someone close to her recently.

_But __it's not just a case of Grissom working with her, it's a full on relationship. The consequences of which…I can't bear to think. _

She thought back to the case involving Lady Heather and groaned. The things she had said were just general chat and gossip. About Grissom's private life.

"Well, I feel stupid." She began to feel guilty that she may have caused some awkwardness between Grissom and Sara. She had experienced the same feeling when the news had been broken to her that Warrick had got married. She had kept her composure, but once she had finished her shift she went and spoke to the only person who knew the situation inside out…

She polished off her third glass of red wine and leaned across to grab the bottle for the refill.

"That bad huh?" Her sister Lydia asked.

"It was so excruciatingly awkward. We both sat there in silence which didn't help. All I could think was that this is ten times worse 'coz we both know what the other's thinking. It was the fact that we both knew it was awkward that it became even more awkward!" She buried her reddening face into one of her sister's cushions.

"Cath lemme just check I've got this right. This is the guy that went from eye candy to shoulder to cry on and protector to the really great guy at work who cares about Lindsay to the he's now married guy who you now have rethought 'coz he's no longer available."

"It's not like that." Catherine mumbled, her reply muffled by the cushion.

"Then what is it like?" Lydia leaned back in her chair with her own glass and watched as her sister detached herself from the cushion hiccupping slightly.

"He's Warrick." She replied simply. Lydia laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"And while you were messing around with that health inspector or property surveyor or whatever boring nobody he was, Warrick decided to find someone else."

"Yeah well we weren't exactly exclusive." Catherine scratched her head tiredly.

"What do you mean by "weren't exactly exclusive" Cath?"

"Well I like him and everything, but we've never well…" She looked up at her sister who gasped in realisation.

"You're telling me that you're pining for a guy at work that's now married, and the reason he doesn't know you're pining for him is because you've never even known or asked if he likes you! You are priceless!" Lydia laughed again.

"No wonder he went and got married. Next time Cath, you might wanna tell the guy you like him, that should get you a bit further!" She fell into hysterics, causing Cath to redden and attempt to lean over to slap her sister playfully on the arm. Unfortunately she missed and ended up tangled up in the coffee table, causing more uncontrollable laughter from her sister.

She shook her head and then winced at the memory of waking up the next morning with a never ending hangover and the realisation that her sister was once again right.

"You took the chance when I never could. You didn't let the consequences stand in the way of your happiness. You'd better come back Sara; you give hope to all of us hopeless romantics."

----------

He gripped the steering wheel tightly. There was no music in his car, only determined silence. His eyes were growing sore and tired but Greg ignored the pain and fought against his body to stay awake and alert. The image of lying in the hospital bed after his attack drifted into his mind, but instead of himself lying in the bed, he had been replaced by Sara whose face was pale and unmoving. He shook his head ferociously and ran his hand through his hair.

He remembered something that Sara had said to him before he went to the Demetrius James court case.

"Positive attitude, positive outcome." It had worked for him that time and only hoped his luck would hold out this time as well.

He laughed at the amount of times he had tried to flirt with Sara, always receiving a warm reply but one with a clear message- no.

He had grown out of his crush and appreciated his role in the group as the younger child or the younger brother, and Sara seemed to appreciate the big sister role, giving him advice and help. He had begun to reciprocate this more frequently over the few weeks before her abduction, as he held a secret that no-one else knew. As Grissom had told them all about Sara's abduction as a result of their relationship, Greg was the only one around the table that wasn't surprised to hear it. It was one of these last conversations that he had had with Sara that he could recall clearly in his head…

"It's really getting to him."

"What is?"

"The whole mini crime scene thing, you know, he's even made his own now. A miniature of his office." She replaced the kettle and stirred the coffee thoughtfully as she returned to her seat next to the staff fridge.

"You know Grissom, he gets…interested in things. He's one of those people who has to take something apart 'coz they wanna see how it works. I'd be worried if a miniature person arrives in it with an axe in their head or a gunshot wound or something though." He suppressed a smile, but unable to keep a straight face began to laugh, Sara soon joining in as well. She sighed and looked back at her mug.

"He had to go away for a month to get away from it before. I'm just worried that he'll overwork himself and end up burning out and not being able to come back to work. He loves his job, it would kill him."

"Again, that's Grissom. He's not gonna rest until the killer is caught."

"Which is what I love about him, but at the same time…" her brow furrowed with worry.

"Have you tried just talking to him about it?"

"Not much response. Uh, we just need a holiday or a break away from it."

"Yeah well don't wear yourself out from trying to make sure he's ok. You don't wanna end up ill or burning out. Neither do I." He smiled at her and took a sip from his coffee.

"I'll be glad when this whole mini crime scene thing is over with. Things can go back to normal."

Greg rubbed his hand over his face and sighed sadly, a small tear appearing at the corner of his eye and running down his cheek. He jabbed the stereo and let the rock music blast out of the speakers, further tears falling.

"I promise you it'll all be over soon, and everything will be ok and normal again." He sniffed then gave small laugh.

"I can't do too much about the holiday thing, but I'll put in a good word to Grissom for ya."

_Oh you know you can't go on thinking nothings wrong_

_Who's gonna drive you home tonight?_

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Wow, didn't realise how much I enjoyed writing those scenes, that's the end of the insights into the CSIs psyches. But there are plenty more scenes to come! -x-


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- I don't own any part of CSI. If I did, all my problems would be solved! Lol

Chapter 9 – Last requests

She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table, the aching in her muscles increasing.

"Where is everyone?" Natalie asked cheerfully in a singsong voice. Sofia stopped drumming her fingers and stared at the young woman.

"They're busy. They're trying to find Sara." Natalie giggled which annoyed Sofia.

"What's so funny?"

"They're spending all that time to look for her and they'll never find her." She giggled again and continued to hum to herself.

"Warrick told me that you were going to say something before but stopped. Something that you let Sara do before you hid her, and that it was going to be a surprise." Natalie nodded enthusiastically and smiled widely.

"What's the time?" She asked brightly. Sofia sighed dejectedly, her questions still not having any impact on Natalie.

"Nine thirty five." Natalie looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well, she's been out there for a while. I suppose this will be the only time to tell him."

"Who, Grissom?" Natalie nodded solemnly, but then a smile appeared on her lips. Sofia moved her chair closer.

"Grissom went to search for her; I'll have to pass the message on. Now, what was it that you let Sara do before you hid her?"

Natalie leaned forward…

"Please, I won't say anything about where I am. They still won't be able to find me. Please, just let me tell him." Sara pleaded from the back of the car.

"Sorry Sara, but I can't let you do that."

"Natalie, I know why you're angry, Ernie's dead. But he left a message didn't he? Please let me do the same." Natalie looked at Sara's face in the rear view mirror and gave a small smile.

She pulled her top up and pulled something out that had been tucked into her trousers. She held the crumpled letter in her hands, smiling as Sofia's jaw dropped.

"Why didn't you give this to us earlier?"

"Well, that wouldn't be any fun would it?" She continued to hum to herself, seemingly back in her daze. Sofia stood up, snatched the letter out of her hands and exited the room quickly.

"Grissom, its Sofia." She looked down at the letter.

"I've got something here that you're gonna want to look at."

----------

Warrick swung into the car park of the lab that he had left only a few hours ago. He got out of his car the same time as Catherine pulled up beside him.

"Hey Cath, what's going on?"

"I dunno, Grissom called me to say he was going back to the lab. Sofia had something that Natalie had given her."

"It's probably what Natalie was gonna tell me earlier."

"He didn't say what it was, I guess he thought it might need to be processed immediately." They walked down the remaining corridors in silence, eventually meeting up with Greg and Nick in the staff room, both of which were dosing themselves up with coffee.

Sofia arrived, looking around.

"Where's Grissom?" She asked.

"Here." He replied from behind her. During the last few hours since he had been out of the lab, his face had become paler, the circles under his eyes darker and more stress lines were apparent on his face.

"Well?" He asked uncertainly. She sighed and handed him the letter.

"What is it, a signed confession from Natalie; we already know she did it." Greg commented, but Grissom immediately recognised the curly handwriting on the front of the envelope addressing it to him. He looked at Sofia.

"You read it?" She shook her head.

"No, Natalie said there aren't any details of where she is, she made sure there weren't." He turned the envelope over and noticed the letter hadn't been sealed, the flap just tucked in, proving Natalie's statement to be true. She rested a hand on his shoulder gently before giving them all a brief polite smile and leaving the room.

"Hey, do you want us to go, you know give you some time?" Nick suggested. Grissom shook his head.

"No it's ok. I think this letter was meant to be for all of us, that's why I called you all back."

He undid the envelope shakily and pulled out the paper. He glanced around at their faces, all of them silent and waiting. He licked his lips nervously before opening his mouth.

_Dear Grissom, _

_If you're reading this then chances are I've gone and might not be coming back, so I'd thought I'd better ge__t all of this outta the way. _I want you to know it isn't your fault that I'm not there with you. Please don't blame yourself, because that would upset me. I have a few messages for you to pass on. Thanks to all the lab staff, Brass, Sofia, David, Doc Robbins and even Ecklie for the time we've spent together, I'll miss you all.

Greg, you've been a brilliant friend, you've always sat and listened while I've gone on about my problems and I really appreciate you being there for me, more than words can say.

Nick, you're a great guy and you've always had so much strength and determination in everything you do that I'm proud to call you my friend and I've enjoyed working with you.

Warrick, you're like the big brother I never had, someone who earns respect by the passion they have and is someone I look up to and admire.

Cath, we weren't very close when we first met, but you're now someone who I couldn't imagine not knowing and I hope that you end up happy, whatever you decide to do in life.

And to you Grissom, I am so grateful to have had you in my life, I never thought you'd see past the crime tape and dead bodies; but you did, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Being with you has made me happier than I've ever been in my life, and the thought of not seeing you is breaking my heart, I wish I could see you one last time, I miss you so much.

I will never stop loving you. -x-

The lab techs had poked their heads out of the examination rooms, wondering why the team had returned. After hearing Grissom read the letter they bowed their heads in silence and sadness and retreated back into their rooms.

Warrick was the first to react.

"That bitch had it all the time and didn't say anything! I think I'll go and have another word with little Miss head case." He began to stand up but Catherine held her arm out to stop him. She wasn't looking at him but at Grissom whose eyes were unfocused and moist. His hands were still clutching the letter tightly. Warrick's angry expression dropped as he watched Grissom take a seat at the table. His arm and the letter fell limply to one side and he put his free hand to his face.

At first they were muffled but as the emotion of the past few hours overwhelmed him, his sobs became heavier and louder.

They all remained sitting, shocked and unsure what to do. Catherine was the first to move, leaving Greg's side where she had been holding his hand to comfort him to Grissom's where she kneeled down beside his chair. The sight of one of her closest friends crying made her heart wrench and tears well in her own eyes. She rubbed her hand comfortingly across his back.

"I know, I know." She whispered sadly, as his heartbreaking sobs echoed around the room and into the corridors of the lab which had become still, the people behind the doors each in their own poignant and reflective silence.

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I have to admit, that did make me a bit teary writing that, but I needed it to be believable which I hope it was. Anyway, hope you're enjoying! -x-


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer – I don't own any part of CSI or the song "Everybody hurts" that's REMs and I think one of the most universal songs ever made. Everyone can relate to it.

Chapter 10 – Blurring the lines of clarification

Hodges looked down at his feet as he returned to the lab, the sound of Grissom crying reverberating in his brain.

He stood in front of the miniature and continued to stare at it.

"How's it going?" Wendy asked, joining him.

"It's not." He replied truthfully.

"I have no idea where to start."

"Maybe we could look for similarities between this one and the others, and then go from there." Wendy suggested. Hodges nodded his head half-heartedly. She tilted her head as she studied his expression.

"You ok?" He blinked several times and looked at her.

"Yeah fine. It's just that, you can process blood, poison, objects, items of clothing and find the details and you can just sorta gloss over the fact that there's a victim." He gave a small jerk of his head towards the doorway.

"Seeing the face of someone affected by the cases we work presses the reality check onto you pretty hard." He sighed and she patted his arm lightly. He frowned.

"Details…details. That could be it!" He looked at Wendy who looked utterly confused.

"With each of the crime scenes, Natalie has been specific with every detail, even using the victim's own blood to create the blood pools." He leaned in and studied the sand.

"This might be different with the bleach and that Sara is alive, but Natalie wouldn't have given up on the details." He leaned across and grabbed a small knife and ceramic dish. He began to scratch some of the sand granules into the dish.

"If she was looking for the detail, where would she have got the sand from?" He asked Wendy excitedly. Her eyes widened.

"From where she left Sara. So if we process the sand and find any particular attributes we could cross reference within the available area that Natalie could have reached within the time frame and"

"Find where Sara is." Hodges finished triumphantly.

"Hey guys, you seen Cath or Grissom?" Archie asked, holding a video tape.

"They've gone back out to carry on searching for Sara." Wendy informed him.

"Why?"

"I've managed to get the surveillance footage they wanted. I think it might help with the case." Hodges looked at Wendy.

"Show us." He informed Archie.

----------

They focused their attention on the screen mounted on the wall in front of them.

"I didn't get any footage of Natalie actually attacking Sara or abducting her. But, this does show a car leaving the car park. I ran the plates and they showed up as Ernie Dell's."

"She must have borrowed it. Or stolen it." Wendy commented.

"Now I had a look at the camera positioned at the exit, she turns right towards the Sahara end. But then, a few minutes later the same car is seen driving back along the strip in the opposite direction. Must've found the closest place to turn around and headed back down the strip. I dunno how much that'll help Grissom?" Hodges was smiling.

"Well, if our results come back, then it's gonna help narrow down the places to look even further."

----------

_When you day is long_

_And the night, the night is yours alone_

_And you're sure you've had enough_

_Of this life, well hang on._

_Where am I?_ She opened her eyes blearily and was met with darkness. She breathed a small sigh of relief as her dark surroundings focused and became shadowy objects, stopping her fear that she had been blinded.

She pushed her body heavily to slide sideways but she was being restrained. She frowned deeply and moved her free arm around, taking in the wet and soft texture of her surrounding landscape. Her eyes followed the direction of her free arm and caught a glimpse of the area round her. Like one of the flashes of lightning overhead, her memory returned sharply. Her eyes widened in fear.

"HELP! Somebody help me!"

_Don't let yourself go 'cause everybody cries_

_And everybody hurts sometimes_

_Sometimes everything is wrong_

_Now it's time to sing along_

She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. _It's gonna be ok_. She told herself reassuringly. The wind picked up and blew the car gently, making it groan and creak all around her. Her heart started to beat harder and faster in her chest.

_I'm trapped and squashed under a car, but I'm gonna die of a heart attack. Brilliant. _The breath escaped her lungs as she realised that even though she had written the letter her brain had only now admitted something that she had tried to remain in denial about.

_I'm going to die._

A tear came to her eye and she sobbed quietly for several minutes, cramped and squashed and alone.

_When your day and night is long_

_And you feel like letting go_

_If you think you've had too much_

_Of this life, well hang on_

_My phone! I'll call the lab, 911, Pizza Hut, anyone that can come and get me. Grissom._

She dug her hand enthusiastically into each of her trouser pockets, the smile steadily falling from her face.

_I left it in the back of the car while I put my kit away._

She banged her free hand frustratedly on the soft earth. She remembered her confusion at seeing the young woman waiting at her car. Natalie. Sara had quickly realised who she was and why she was there. _Grissom_. She knew he would blame himself for this, which was why she had stressed that point in her letter. The trouble was, she didn't even know if it had reached him.

She began to sob again, but her head grew fuzzy.

"Please Grissom, I need you. Please find m…"

'_Cause everybody hurts_

_Take comfort in your friends_

_Everybody hurts_

_Don't throw your hand in_

_Don't throw your hand in _

_When you feel like you're alone_

_No no no you're not alone_

She opened her eyes and found darkness all around her. She breathed out slowly and watched as her breath hung in the air. She frowned deeply. A chill ran over her body and she put her arm over her shoulder to warm herself up. Her frown deepened as she realised that she couldn't find a sleeve covering her arm. She felt around in the dark and found something soft covering her torso; like a blanket.

Nervously she pulled the sheet down and ran her fingertips over her chest. All air escaped her lungs as she felt the ridges of the stitched up Y-incision covering her upper body.

_I'm lying in the freezer in the morgue._

Breaths came faster now and she let out an ear piercing scream. Sara's eyes snapped open, the reality stricken situation now re-materializing. But she couldn't stop the screams being emitted form her lips.

_If you're on your own in this life_

_The days and nights are long_

_When you think you've had too much _

_Of this life, to hang on_

The rain fell harder and faster, causing a deafening noise as it crashed against the car.

She shivered with fright but continued to fill her head with happy memories.

_Our first date, well proper date. Our first kiss. The day we got Curie. The first time he held my hand at work. The cocoon he sent me on his sabbatical. And the letter he never sent. _

She began to smile to herself as more memories appeared.

_The night I came around and he fell asleep watching Ghost. That was the same night we ordered takeout 'cause he tried to make a vegetarian dinner. And burnt it! Christmas spent at his mom's. The first time he told me he loved me. The most recent time he told me he loved me…this morning. The day we moved in together._

_Well everybody hurts sometimes_

_Everybody cries_

_Everybody hurts sometimes_

She walked down the hall, frowning to herself. It was completely empty and still, almost calming. She called out, but only received her echoing voice reverberating around the walls. She saw light streaming from the doorway at the end of the corridor.

A warm contented feeling washed over Sara's body as she continued to follow the light, just out of reach.

She smiled to herself, the sound of the creaking car above her fading into non-existence.

_It doesn't matter. None of it matters now._

_So hold on, hold on, hold on. _

'_Cause everybody hurts_

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I really love that song, and it works so well for all the Sara stuff. Remember, positive attitude, positive outcome. Maybe. (Gives villainous laugh) I will warn you now, the next chapter is the last! -x-


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer - I do not own any part of CSI. This is the last chapter in the story, so enjoy it!

Chapter 11 – Find all that is hidden

He watched the screen impatiently, urging it to hurry up. The printer sprung into life and he rushed to it and caught the contents as it was delivered. He skimmed the page quickly, a smile appearing on his face. He grabbed a map from the desk he was standing by and spread it across the table, knocking everything else out of the way. Wendy arrived at the door, puzzled.

"I've got the results." He replied excitedly. She strode into the room and leaned over the map. He drew big red circles around areas of desert.

"That's within the area that Archie determined." She commented. He nodded and drew blue circles within the first ones.

"Our test results show that our sand sample holds a high mineral content that you don't find in processed model sand and it's only found in certain areas of Vegas."

"The blue circles." Wendy clarified, which was again met with a nod. He pulled out a stack of paper and searched through it.

"Today's weather reports." He explained before Wendy had a chance to ask.

"So you can prove that it's raining where Sara is. But it's been raining all over Vegas, that's not gonna help us."

"But if we look at the time when the car left the garage and headed out to the desert and cross reference that with the weather report at that time today. Only one area in Vegas had rainfall, and then later the clouds moved across the rest of the town."

He drew a green circle on the map and they both studied the map.

"You've just narrowed it down from the whole of the Vegas desert down to three possible areas. Good going Hodges." He grinned proudly.

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"Nick Stokes. Hi, what? Ok, wait a minute." He picked up the radio.

"Griss, Cath, Warrick, Greg. You guys there?" Once they had all replied he continued.

"Hodges has got some results back and there are three areas where Sara can be. I'm just gonna put him on speaker." He halted his car and put his phone to the radio as Hodges explained his results and the areas that he had discovered.

"I'll call Brass and get the chopper to cover the biggest area. Cath, we're closest to the area to the north." Grissom instructed.

"I'm near to the south." Greg interjected.

"Same here." Warrick replied.

"You guys go there. Nick you follow the chopper." He nodded, thanked Hodges and started his car again, doing a full U-turn and going back down the road towards his location.

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Grissom's stomach began to churn nervously, he now knew that Sara was going to be found, he just worried what state she was going to be in when they arrived.

Nick could see the lights of the chopper overhead, attempting to scan the landscape through the veil of rain. He prayed that the beam of light would land upon the metallic sheen of the car.

Catherine leant forward on the steering wheel, straining her eyes to spot the first sign of Sara. But she continued to drive through the empty patch of desert. She sighed and whispered "Watch her for me Sam, make sure she's safe."

Warrick was no longer tapping his hands or listening to music, but sitting in silence. He fumbled around in his pocket for his phone and dialled the number.

"It's me. Look T, I just wanted to call to say I'm sorry for everything that's gone on between us. I think maybe we need to talk a bit more. Anyway, gimme a call when you get this." He snapped the phone shut and continued to stare blankly ahead.

Greg repeated the words over and over to himself quietly.

"It's almost over. It's almost over. It's almost over." He looked across the desert and blinked several times before he realised what he was seeing. His heart leaped into his throat as a little way off in the distance was the distinctive shape of a car turned on its head. He grabbed the radio out of its holder.

"Guys, I've found it! I've found Sara!"

He reached the site and threw himself out of the car and ran across the wet sand, his feet beginning to squelch and slide, his body covered completely in rain. But he didn't care. He dived to the roof of the car and slid onto his front. He scanned the ground for any sign of Sara. He slipped and slid his way around to the other side and saw the small hand protruding from underneath the car.

"Sara! Sara, can you hear me? It's Greg. Sara?" His eyes widened in panic. Her fingers twitched slightly and he could hear a faint mumbling from the shadows. He crouched and then lay on his front, his head pressing to the ground, his hair mingling with the rain and the sludge around him.

She opened and closed her eyes slowly a few times, before seemingly focusing her gaze on him and giving a small smile. His eyes erupted with tears and joyful sobs as he held onto her hand.

"It's gonna be ok Sara. We've got you now."

"Grissom?" She croaked.

"He's coming Sara, he's gonna be so happy to see you, just hang on for me ok?" He rubbed her cold hand reassuringly and found his phone with the other.

"This is CSI Sanders. I need an ambulance and a rescue team."

He continued to watch her carefully, even as he heard the sirens approaching. Sara was beginning to smile again.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to hear that sound." She laughed, coughing slightly. He looked at her worriedly.

"I'll be right back, I've gotta let them know where you are." He let go of her hand and carefully pulled himself off the ground shivering. He waved his arms in the air and was soon noticed by a group of people standing by the Denalis. He dropped once again to the floor and squeezed her hand again, not for comfort but to make sure she didn't fall asleep or pass out.

"They're all here now. They'll have you outta there in no time." He heard voices approaching, and recognised them as the rest of the team, headed by Grissom. He let go of Sara's hand, causing her to grope desperately and panic slightly. She held onto the hand in front of her but noticed that it was larger than Greg's. She looked up hopefully and saw Grissom's face looking back at her, pale and tired but full of relief and happiness. He stretched his arm under the car and stroked her face affectionately as tears also welled in his eyes.

Greg stepped away from the car, taking long breaths of relief. A paramedic stopped to throw a blanket around his shoulders, and then continued with his partner towards the car. Catherine walked towards him and threw her arms around him, smiling widely.

"Well done." She whispered.

"But I didn't do anything." He replied honestly. She looked at him in disbelief.

"You found Sara; you called for help and stayed with her until they arrived."

"Any of you would have done the same." He looked over at the car where Grissom was holding Sara's hand tightly, a look of elation on his face.

"I'm just glad she's ok." Warrick and Nick joined them; Nick ruffling Greg's soaking wet hair and Warrick giving him a pat on the back.

They all looked as the vehicles arrived to lift the car away and Warrick sighed.

"I'll be honest guys, I didn't think we were gonna find her."

"Hey! You told me to be positive!" Nick replied, slightly angry. Catherine and Greg looked between Nick and Warrick and smiled. Nick gave Warrick a playful punch on the arm and started to laugh.

"Mr Grissom, you're gonna need to stand back for a minute while we lift the car off and attend to Miss Sidle." She looked up, her eyes wide with fear, but he kissed her hand lightly.

"Its ok honey, I'll be right here." He let go of her hand hesitantly and stepped away from the car, hugging his arms to his chest in anxiety. The rest of the team gathered around him silently and watched as the front end of the car raised up away from Sara and swung to the left. The paramedics rushed forwards with the stretcher and their kits and leant down next to Sara. Grissom started towards them, but Catherine held out her arm.

"Let them do their job Gil. She's in safe hands." He looked at her and nodded. He turned and looked at Greg, who wore a humble expression.

"You… I…Thank you." Grissom stuttered, losing the ability to speak. He gave a nod of his head, making Greg grin in return. Grissom turned back and noticed the paramedics had placed Sara on the stretcher and he strode quickly across the rain sodden earth to join them in the back of the ambulance.

Catherine, Warrick Nick and Greg followed several minutes after, no longer noticing the rain falling around them.

"Well, just another day at the office huh?" Nick commented. They all gave a small laugh, but then lost themselves in their own thoughts.

Grissom held Sara's hand once again inside the ambulance. He watched her delicate features and felt an intensity he had never felt before. She turned her head to see him looking down at her and gave a small smile.

"You look worried." She whispered croakily. He stroked her face gently.

"I got your letter." Her faced clouded with doubt.

"And that's why you're worried?"

"No, of course not. It's just, what it meant. What it signified. How close I was to losing you."

"Its ok honey, I'll be right here." She repeated the words he had said to her earlier. He leant over and brushed his lips against hers delicately.

"I love you." He whispered. She looked up at him affectionately.

"Now, about this picnic you promised…" She suppressed a smile. He glanced at her and began smiling uncontrollably for the first time in hours.

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Well, there you go! Hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Like I explained at the beginning, this is just my take on what could happen at the beginning of season 8; I have no insider gossip or connections. Anyways, please R&R and have a look at some of the other stories I've done and hopefully I'll have some more up here soon! -x-


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